A survey of 400 UK-based systems administrators found that: 1) They enjoy solving problems and helping users the most about their jobs, but feel pressures of increased workload and responsibilities with too little pay and budget. 2) Most find their jobs at least somewhat enjoyable and appreciated by their employers, though less than 20% feel highly satisfied. 3) In their free time, many enjoy activities like surfing the web, video games, and outdoor activities to relax after long work weeks that often exceed 40 hours.

1. Sysadmins Revealed
A look at the attitudes and preferences of UK-based systems administrators
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2. Study overview: Who are systems administrators?
» SolarWinds set out to measure the rapidly evolving
nature of systems administrators in the UK
» We captured their thoughts on life inside and
outside of the workplace to understand who they
are and what drives them
» 400 UK-based sysadmins took part in the survey
conducted by RedShift Research in October 2012
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3. PROFESSIONAL LIFE
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4. How the job sysadmin role is changing
There is more pressure 30% 53%
I am doing more with less 26% 52%
There is more responsibility and demands on my time 25% 59%
There is more complexity in the systems I manage 22% 59%
I am spending more time on the job 22% 57%
The software used to manage IT systems is more complex 22% 57%
The software used to manage IT systems is more expensive 21% 60%
I feel more satisfied in my career 17% 48%
There are more career paths to pursue /more specialization 16% 48%
There are more resources to do my job 16% 41%
I have been adequately trained in the latest technology skills to do my … 15% 54%
There is more incentive to perform my best 14% 43%
Strongly agree Somewhat agree
Most sysadmins agree that there is more pressure, they need to do more with less, are taking
on more responsibility and facing greater demands on their time.
65% are more satisfied in their careers now.
Q15: How much do you agree or disagree with each
statement, in terms of how the system/network admin
career has changed over the last 2-3 years. (Asked;
Strongly agree, somewhat agree., somewhat disagree,
strongly disagree.) 4

5. Key job frustrations
Too little pay 27%
Increasing workload/responsibilities 13%
Too much to do 12%
Job is not challenging enough 11%
Not enough budget 9%
Lack of appreciation from users/company 9%
Little control over what I work on 8%
Not enough autonomy 4%
Don't know 8%
Inadequate pay and budget constraints, coupled with a heavy workload represent key points
of frustration.
Q7: Please rank your top three most frustrating
challenges in order of level of frustration.
5

6. What sysadmins enjoy most about their work
Solving problems 71%
Helping users 55%
Thinking on my feet 49%
Making a contribution to the organisation 40%
Getting to work with new technologies 38%
Having a unique set of skills/capabilities few or no 35%
others have in the organisation
Designing or planning new solutions 26%
Evaluating software solutions 22%
Driving innovation in the company 22%
Completing daily systems tasks 21%
Other aspect not listed above 1%
Solving problems, helping users and having to think on your feet are the most enjoyable
aspects of the profession.
Q12: Please select all of the items that you enjoy a lot
about being a systems /network administrator?
6

7. The single most enjoyable thing about the profession
Solving problems 31%
Helping users 16%
Thinking on my feet 12%
Getting to work with new technologies 9%
Making a contribution to the organisation 7%
Designing or planning new solutions 6%
Driving innovation in the company 6%
Having a unique set of skills/capabilities few or no 5%
others have in the organization
Evaluating software solutions 4%
Completing daily systems tasks 4%
Other aspect not listed above: 2%
The challenge of problem solving is most likely to be identified as the most enjoyable aspect of
the job, although a significant minority would also identify with helping users.
Q13: Which of these do you enjoy most about being a
systems administrator? (One response only)
7

8. Job satisfaction and recognition
48%
38%
35%
27%
19%
15%
12%
6%
Not enjoyable Somewhat Enjoyable Highly Not Somewhat Appreciated Highly
at all enjoyable enjoyable appreciated at appreciated appreciated
all
Most sysadmins find their jobs enjoyable to at least some extent and most feel they are at
least somewhat appreciated. Less than one in five describe their jobs as highly
enjoyable, or feel highly appreciated.
Q9: All things considered, how enjoyable is your job?
Q10: Do you feel appreciated for the job that you do by
the company in general? 8

9. How sysadmins feel about their employers
Our systems are more reliable and efficient than in 56% 25%
the past
I trust the leadership of the IT department at my 54% 20%
company
I trust the senior/executive leadership of the 49% 22%
company
Our IT department is in a better position than the 49% 20%
past year
Most of the company doesn’t understand what I 47% 22%
do/the value I bring
I feel 2013 will be a growth year for my company 47% 18%
Somewhat agree Strongly agree
Most sysadmins feel fairly positive about their workplace. However, 69% worry that the
technical nature of their work is not easily understood by most people in their business.
Q18: Please rate the following sentences based on how
much you agree or disagree. (Asked: strongly
agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly
disagree.) 9

10. How often do sysadmins change jobs?
30%
26%
22%
13%
9%
Every 1-2 years Every 3-5 years Every 5-10 years More than 10 years Never changed jobs
43% rarely or never change jobs, having worked in the same place for 10 years or
more.
Q37: How often do you change jobs?
10

11. Why they change jobs
20%
19%
15%
13% 13%
11%
5% 5%
more challenging role satisfyingFor a pay raiseFor a promotion made redundant
For a more role I was Change ofCurrent company is unstable
career Lack of overall support in curre
The main reason for changing is for more money or a more challenging/satisfying role.
Q38: What was the last reason that made you change your
job?
11

12. 2013 budget predictions
38%
15%
12%
10% 9%
7% 6%
4%
More than 5-10% less 1-4% less Same as 2012 1-4% more 5-10% more More than I don’t
10% less 10% more know/Im not
involved in
budgeting
Net change = +1.7% average budget increase
(current UK inflation rate = 2.2% as at September 2012).
Q8: Do you anticipate your department will have
more, less, or the same budget in 2013? (Please select
one response)
12

13. Do they have the right resources to do the job
Adequate tools/software and hardware 46% 16%
Skilled staff/people resources 44% 18%
Adequate support from organisation 42% 14%
Adequate ongoing training and skills development 37% 13%
Adequate budget/money resources 34% 13%
Usually have access to adequate resource Always have access to adequate resource
Budgets and money are most likely to be identified as the scarcest resource (around half say
that this is not usually adequate at their organisation).
However, as many as one third are not convinced they have access to adequate
tools/software/hardware to perform effectively.
Q14: Do you feel you have the following resources you
need to adequately perform your job on a daily basis?
(Asked; always, usually, sometimes, rarely, never.) 13

14. Where sysadmins go for help
20%
19%
12%
9%
7% 7%
4% 4%
3% 3% 3% 3% 3% 3%
2%
1%
General internet searches and the advice of colleagues represent the main sources of help
for sysadmins.
Q17: When faced with a challenging task on the
job, please rank the top three sources of information you
turn to in order of importance?
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15. Out of hours working
36%
34%
14%
10%
7%
A significant and A significant but A small and A small but No amount of
unreasonable manageable reasonable unreasonable extra time, I
amount of extra amount of extra amount of extra amount of extra complete all my
time time time time tasks during
work hours
Nearly 44% of sysadmins need to devote a significant amount of their free time to completing
assignments. Only 14% are able to complete all their task within normal office hours.
Q11: Outside of your normal working hours, how
much of your free time do you use to continue working
to complete your assignments? 15

16. The average working week
40%
30%
20%
4% 4%
3%
Under 40 40-45 45-50 50-55 55-60 More than 60
hours hours
Average working week = 43 ½ hours.
Q19: On average, how many hours do you usually work
per week?
16

17. What sysadmins do
Maintaining and/or operating a computer system and/or network 36%
Project management for systems-related projects 33%
Installing, supporting, maintaining servers or other computer… 26%
Supervising or training computer operators 25%
Light programming 22%
Planning for and responding to service outages or other problems 19%
Procurement of new hardware, rolling out new software installs 13%
Monitoring performance of the network 10%
Ensuring security for Internet connectivity 10%
Making sure licenses for software are paid 9%
Checking for security breaches and poor data management… 9%
Designing and/or Installing networks 8%
Maintaining the disk images for new computer installs 7%
Maintaining standards for server installations and applications 6%
Primary responsibility include the maintenance/operation of systems, PM for systems
projects, installation, support and operator training along with a wide range of other tasks.
Q3: Which of the following categories describes your role in
the IT department? Please check as many as apply based on
your primary responsibilities
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18. How much sway sysadmins have
I make the final decisions for all IT matters 9%
I make the final decisions for at least some IT 4%
matters
I have a strong influence in at least some IT 28%
decisions
I have some influence in at least some IT 22%
matters
I have very little influence in the decision 21%
making process for any IT matters
I have no involvement at all in the decision 15%
making process for any IT matters
Sysadmins may have some influence over IT decisions, but more rarely hold decision making
authority.
Q4: Which of the following best describes your overall
role in the IT decision making process? (Please select only
one response.)
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19. SOCIAL LIFE
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20. How they spend their free time
73% 73%
70%
56% 54%
51%
43%
38% 36%
33% 32%
29%
25%
21% 20% 20% 18% 17%
Even away from work, 70% like to spend time surfing the web, 32% play video games and 20% even
program for fun. However, 51% also love the great outdoors and 25% like to participate in
competitive sports.
Q23: Let’s say you’ve had a hard week at work, and you want
to “blow off some steam”. How often do you participate in
each of the following fun activities in this type of situation?
(those done very often/usually) 20

21. Mobile gadget of choice
36%
33%
15%
10%
6%
Android iPhone Blackberry Other Windows mobile
36% own Androids and 33% have iPhones
Q24:For my personal Smartphone, I use a(n)…
21

22. PC or Mac preference
81%
13%
4%
2%
PC Mac Open source Other
PCs dominate
Q25: I’m a…
22

23. What’s the all-time best gaming platform?
Xbox 21%
I’m not a gamer 21%
PlayStation 17%
Wii 14%
My PC 12%
Nintendo 8%
Xbox beats PlayStation and Wii.
But, surprisingly, as many as one in six are not gamers!
Q26: What is the best video game platform of all time?
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24. The all-time best game
Call of Duty 29%
Other 23%
Super Mario Bros. 20%
Tetris 19%
Grand Theft Auto 18%
Wii 14%
Space Invaders 14%
Guitar Hero 11%
World of Warcraft 10%
The Sims 10%
PacMan/Ms. PacMan 9%
Legend of Zelda 7%
Jarheads beat Italian plumbers and gangsters
Q27: Please select your top 3 favorite games of all time.
(those above 10% and shown.)
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25. Best sci-fi/fantasy movie
Lord of the Rings 21%
Star Wars 19%
Star Trek 14%
The Terminator 14%
Matrix 12%
Alien 11%
None of the above 9%
Other 2%
Swords and sorcery win the battle!
Q29: What is your favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy movie
franchise?
25

26. Favourite all-time geek/sci-fi show
The X-Files 17%
Star Trek 16%
The Simpsons 14%
The Big Bang Theory 13%
Family Guy 8%
Battlestar Galactica 7%
Lost in Space 6%
ALF 2%
Alien conspiracy theories are preferred to Chief Science Officer Spock – illogical?
The Simpsons come third – Doh!
Q31: What is your favorite all-time geek or sci-fi TV show?
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27. The most badass superhero
Batman 20%
Don’t Know 16%
Wolverine 12%
Superman 7%
Iron Man 7%
The Hulk 7%
Spiderman 5%
Captain America 4%
Wonder Woman 2%
None of the above 2%
Batman is the baddest badass.
Q28: Who is the most ‘badass’ superhero of all time?
(top 10 answers shown)
27

28. Favourite beverage
Wine 19%
Coffee 18%
Beer (Craft) 17%
Beer (Macro like Bud/Bud… 13%
Fizzy drink 5%
Water 5%
Straight spirits… 5%
Beer with a chaser 3%
Mixed drink 2%
Wine edges ahead of coffee and beer. But it’s real ale, not lager, for sysadmins.
Q30: What is your usual beverage of choice when
you’re relaxing?
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29. How sysadmins like to spend their holidays
Spending time with family 19%
Hitting the beach 17%
Cultural destination 11%
City vacation 10%
Cruising 8%
Hiking/camping destination 6%
Spa/Spa Resort 5%
Other 4%
Geek convention/gathering 4%
Staycation 2%
Spending time with the family or hitting the beach are the two favoured
options for holidays
Q32: What is your ideal vacation? (top 10 shown)
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30. Favourite tunes
22%
16%
9%
8%
7% 7% 7%
5% 5% 5%
3% 3%
2% 2%
Rock Rocks! Pop is popular.
But Country, Techno, New Age and Funk fall on deaf ears
Q33: What is your favorite type of music?
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31. What wheels they’re driving
Compact car 39%
Classic car 12%
Sports car 9%
I don't own a vehicle 9%
Minivan or station wagon 7%
SUV 6%
Bicycle 6%
Other 9%
Motorcycle 3%
Truck 1%
Compact cars are the most popular choice.
Q34: What class of vehicle you most drive on a regular
basis?
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32. What kind of people sysadmins are
53% 52% 51%
41% 40% 39%
34%
30%
27% 27%
Friendly Hard-working Compassionate Fun-loving Funny Intellectual Homebody Smart Adventurous Leader
Sysadmins see themselves as friendly, hardworking and compassionate but are less
likely to see themselves as leaders
Q39 Please rate each of the following personality traits in
terms of how well each describes you. (“describes me
completely.”)
32

33. DEMOGRAPHICS OF SURVEY
RESPONDENTS
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34. Gender
62%
38%
Male Female
34

35. Age
18%
17%
16%
13% 13%
10%
9%
4%
1% 1%
18-21 22-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-49 60-64 65 and
older
Nearly 80% are aged 22-49
35

36. Marital status
57%
19%
17%
6%
2%
Married Divorced Widowed Single/never married Living with a
significant other
36

37. Years in the technology field
47%
16%
12% 11% 12%
3%
Less than 1 year 1 to 3 years Over 3 years to 5 Over 5 years to 8 Over 8 years to 10 Over 10 years
years years years
Nearly half have more than 10 years experience
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38. Highest level of education achieved
36%
13% 14% 13%
12%
6%
4%
1%
Post graduate Post graduate A bachelor’s An associate’s A vocational Some college Completed Some high
study with a studies degree degree or certificate high school school or less
degree without a program after
(PHD, etc) degree high school
Over half are educated to full degree level or beyond
38

39. Years as a sysadmin
25%
22%
19%
12%
11% 11%
Less than 1 year 1 to 3 years Over 3 years to 5 Over 5 years to 8 Over 8 years to 10 Over 10 years
years years years
Nearly half have been sysadmins for more than five years
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40. Annual income before taxes
Refused 6%
Over 200,000 1%
171,000 to 180,000 1%
111,000 to 120,000 1%
96,000 to 110,000 3%
86,000 to 95,000 2%
76,000 to 85,000 2%
66,000 to 75,000 6%
56,000 to 65,000 6%
46,000 to 55,000 15%
36,000 to 45,000 20%
25,000 to 35,000 23%
Under 25,000 15%
Average income = 46,600
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41. Visit www.solarwinds.com for
more information
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